I'm bullish on the prospect of the SWLRT helping to increase the pull of downtown Minneapolis. Companies tend to locate their headquarters closer to where the CEO lives, and while the LRT doesn't exactly reach the shores of Lake Minnetonka, it certainly will intrude on the mental map of the Twin Cities for a lot of white collar business types.

When the line is complete, I imagine that it'll be much easier for local business leaders to imagine their workforce commuting downtown via transit, and they might be more likely to move there as a result.

Sounds like good news to me. US Bank consolidating suburban workers DT, needs the space. Other tenants now in the building beginning to look elsewhere, including the soon to be vacant RBC Plaza.

Also worth noting that US Bank owns the Plaza building. But they do not own US Bancorp Center (800 Nicollet), which means they lack control over future rent increases. They could just be shifting people around downtown to save $

Also worth noting that US Bank owns the Plaza building. But they do not own US Bancorp Center (800 Nicollet), which means they lack control over future rent increases. They could just be shifting people around downtown to save $

I don't think it's common for corporations to own the building where their headquarters is? They usually have an immense amount of control though. If the owner of the US Bancorp Center wanted to jack up the rent, they'd have to be prepared to instead have nearly their entire tower sit vacant for a while. As a result, these agreements are usually long-term and painstakingly negotiated.